For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
God is not the source of confusion but of peace, and His churches are to be marked by order and harmonious peace. He is a God of order who has not changed, and He is as particular now as in former times in requiring order and organization. Order is the law of heaven, seen in all His works and in angels who act with subjection, discipline, and perfect harmonious movement. For the church this means preserving unity through organization and thorough discipline, which prevents confusion and advances the work with power rather than restricting it. That same peace is to govern worship and daily life, with assemblies kept in holy stillness and order, believers united in faith and cooperating harmoniously under the Holy Spirit, and all planning done with sound, careful judgment rather than haste and excitement.
Plain Sense of Verse
God is not the source of confusion but of peace, and his churches are to be marked by order and harmonious peace. Order and organization are valued by him, and orderly arrangements like those of Israel's wilderness journey serve the good of the community and are to be followed rather than resisted, in the present dispensation as well as the former. The church had order during Christ's ministry and maintained it after his departure, with church work to be conducted thoroughly and exactly and with system. Order and harmonious cooperation remain necessary as believers are united in faith and work together under the Holy Spirit rather than allowing local disputes to divide them, while Satan and his angels seek to undermine that unity.
He is a God of order who has not changed from the former dispensation to the present, but is the same now as then and is as particular now as then in requiring order and organization. He designs that present believers learn lessons of order and organization from the perfect order instituted in the days of Moses for the benefit of the children of Israel. That order was seen in the organized and disciplined camp, in the specified order for bearing the sacred ark and tabernacle by a designated family of the Levites, in guidance by the pillar of cloud in pitching and journeying, and in the orderly marching of the tribes each under its own standard as directed by distinct trumpet sounds with no confusion of sound. He is pleased with the efforts of his people to move with system and order in his work on earth after the order in heaven, for order, discipline, and union of action bring success and the cooperation of angels who work harmoniously in perfect order, while irregularity, disorganization, distraction, and disorder are never endorsed by heaven but result from Satan's studied effort to weaken strength, destroy courage, divide God's people, and prevent successful action.
When truth works in people it brings peace and not confusion by bringing mind, affections, motives, abilities, and all powers into harmony under one Spirit. The leaven of truth hidden in the heart converts the whole being into conformity with itself, so that the mind, the affections, the motives, and all the powers are converted through the truth and worked by the same Spirit, and all the truths of the Word meet in the conversion of the soul through faith. When the believer is united with Christ that faith is seen in holiness of character and consistent obedience to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, weaving truths that reach to heaven and compass eternity into human life. The influence of the Word sanctifies speech, actions, temper, voice, and association with every member of the family and with strangers, and faithfulness in the little things of home and church disciplines the soul and prepares for large responsibilities with lowliness of mind.
His teaching is intelligible and can be understood by thoughtful people. Chaotic gatherings in which people pray and cry out at once with no order, noise, and bodily exhaustion reflect a wrong spirit rather than his work, while heartfelt praise from the Spirit is different from such disorder. In context the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, so spiritual gifts do not excuse disorder or independence from the shared counsel of the churches of the saints.
Heaven and Israel's Example
Order is the law of heaven and is seen in all God's works throughout the universe. God is a God of order, not confusion, and in heaven the angels act with subjection and discipline. Their movements are perfectly harmonious, reflecting His peace and perfect order brought by system.
The perfect order instituted in the days of Moses for the benefit of Israel is what present believers are designed to learn lessons of order and organization from. That order was shown in the organized and disciplined camp. There was a specified order for bearing the sacred ark and tabernacle by a designated family of the Levites. Guidance was given by the pillar of cloud in pitching and journeying. The tribes marched orderly each under its own standard as directed by distinct trumpet sounds with no confusion of sound. Careful planning and orderly arrangements after this example of Israel's camp should guide Christian work, for God does not approve confusion in His work.
Israel's government was organized under God's authority through appointed leaders and officers. From the pillar of cloud direction was given that the Hebrews must educate their children to work and teach them trades, let none be idle, and instruct them to keep the statutes and commandments of the Lord. Strict orders were given to the whole encampment to observe order and cleanliness. Untidiness of dress and slack, loose, disorderly habits are an offense to God, and every family is required to be trained in habits of neatness, cleanliness, and thoroughness so that the principles of truth and righteousness are not represented as making people coarse, rough, untidy, and disorderly.
Angels are thoroughly organized and move in perfect order and work harmoniously. God works only through peace, order, discipline, and harmonious action, and never through confusion, distraction, disorganization, or disorder. Angels cannot work successfully for those who are disorderly, undisciplined, and disorganized in action but turn away in grief because they are not authorized to bless confusion. All who desire the cooperation of heavenly messengers must work in unison with them. The more closely their harmony and order are imitated and union of action encouraged, the more successfully heavenly agents can cooperate and help. Those with the unction from on high will always encourage order, discipline, and union of action. Irregularity, disorganization, distraction, and disorder never have heaven's endorsement but are the result of Satan's studied effort to weaken strength, destroy courage, divide God's people, undo unity, lead away from heaven's arrangement, and prevent successful action.
Order in Church Organization
God is the source of peace and not confusion, and his churches are to be marked by order, for the church had order during Christ's ministry and maintained it after his departure, with believers united in faith and working together harmoniously under the Holy Spirit against efforts to undermine that unity. Gospel order is not mere formality but preserves unity and prevents disorder from harming the work and reputation of the church. It requires that church work be conducted thoroughly and exactly, with system, and with believers and churches cooperating rather than allowing local disputes to divide them.
For the church this requires order and thorough discipline through organization, which prevents confusion and allows the work to go forward successfully. That order does not restrict or hinder the work but advances it with power and speed. It enables support of the ministry, entry into new fields, protection of churches and ministers from unworthy members, holding of church property, publishing truth through the press, and meeting many other needs. The need for order, discipline, and unity of action with system and exactness is greatest in the last days while God is bringing his children into unity of the faith, for confusion, distraction, disorganization, irregularity, and disorder come not from God but from a studied effort to lead away from heaven's arrangement, undo unity, weaken strength, destroy courage, and prevent successful action, including the deception that order and discipline are enemies to spirituality and that safety lies in each pursuing his own course.
That order must remain living and spiritual, bearing the cross and bringing the Saviour to people in burden for souls. It must not degenerate into dull form or over-systematic complicated machinery that makes workers formal and powerless, deadens energy, earnestness and efficiency, and engrosses time and means until spiritual work is neglected. Decisions about who should labor for souls belong to God and are to be made by his chosen ministers in union with the church with unmistakable evidence of the Holy Spirit. When a few individuals decide on their own who is called to minister, confusion and distraction follow, and prayer and eloquence alone do not prove a divine call without qualification, experience, and ability to care for the church.
Having an individual work and responsibility before God does not permit following private judgment regardless of the opinions and feelings of brethren, for that course leads to disorder and confusion. Members are to humbly accept counsel, advice, and correction from experienced sound-minded members, which fosters unity and a healthy influence, rather than each relying on personal judgment. Ministers must respect the judgment of their brethren and bring both their relations to one another and the doctrines they teach to the test of the law and the testimony, and where hearts are teachable there will be no division, while drifting away from the great landmarks of the faith opposes God who is moving upon his ministers to be one in doctrine and in spirit. New teachings that promote error and divide believers do not come from God, and believers should test them against Scripture with humility, seek the counsel of experienced Bible students, and pray for guidance, for truth not only converts but purifies the one who receives it.
The affairs of the church at Battle Creek were going wrong and needed to be set in order. Confusion tending toward fanaticism through religious excitement and religious excitement leading toward fanaticism endangered the church. That confusion was counteracted, and the work of correction brought a transformed stable condition marked by confidence and joy.
Unity Without Human Control
God is the source of peace rather than confusion, and his churches are to be marked by order and harmonious cooperation as believers are united in faith and work together under the Holy Spirit. Church work is to be conducted thoroughly and exactly, with believers and churches united and cooperating rather than allowing local disputes to divide them. Those who wear Christ's yoke draw together with Christ and with one another in the great plan of redemption, acting and stepping in concert like good soldiers with those connected with Christ. Satan and his angels seek to undermine that unity.
This peace means united action rather than division and disorder, requiring Christians to unite with their brethren instead of acting alone, refusing fellowship because others do not meet their mind, or pulling apart. Cooperation replaces working from self-will, a high estimate of own wisdom, and own methods and plans, with self-restraint exercised in order to maintain concerted action and without taking offense when other minds do not run in the same channel. Workers who submit to God's authority and obey his directions can act in unity, while self-willed disobedience leads to discord and disorder.
Human kingly power in any branch of his cause is not ordained or inspired by God, for he gives peace rather than confusion. Binding documents prepared for men to sign in order to govern their service, and the selfishness that exalts one man to rule the minds of his fellow men, are not inspired by him. Such selfish, human rule that seeks to control other people's minds is excluded, and the Bible gives the principles that are to govern dealing with human minds. The Lord works in and through those who will be worked by him, and in every line of Christian service they are to act in accordance with divine enlightenment.
Christ never causes confusion in minds but gives peace, and a human mind under the control of the Holy Spirit represents the heavenly world. Minds belong to Christ and are not to be under the jurisdiction of any man, so medical missionaries and all his servants must free themselves from the control of any human mind and reject philosophical speculation and spiritualistic theories. Those who put themselves in Christ's place to control the minds of his blood-bought heritage endanger souls purchased with the price of his own blood and will surely be punished at the peril of their own eternal life. To mislead one soul so that eternal bliss is forfeited is an inestimable loss, and unless the one who does this work comes to Christ with repentance and confession, he will lose the life that measures with the life of God. His kingdom is not served by confusion, for his laws are simple and complete and adding human rules creates confusion, while simple plans free from worldly policy help his work succeed and simplicity and humility should mark efforts to advance it.
Orderly Worship and Conduct
Worship assemblies are to be kept in holy stillness and order, for confusion and disorder are contrary to the holy order in which God meets with His people, since He is not the source of confusion but of peace. Uncontrolled noise disturbs the peace of those gathered to worship, and children's running, playing, talking, and displays of bad temper turn a place meant for holy worship and stillness into confusion and bring displeasure. Such play and noise desecrate the place of worship and hinder the divine presence. When this disorder is continued, the presence is withheld from the assembly and does not go with the people against their enemies.
Worship, including singing and prayer, is to be orderly, and such orderly worship can still be lively and interesting. Prayer in church should generally seek a present blessing, while prayer for family members is usually suited to the family altar, and prayer for those far away to the private place of prayer. Christ's service is marked by decorum and reverence, and wild methods, strange behavior, and confusion are not authorized. Truth cannot be confined to one particular range, but it shapes the manners, habits, and practices of those who live by it in harmony with its divine Author.
Distraction, filthiness, sin, and disorder do not please God, while cleanliness and orderly habits are consistent with serving Him. His people are to reflect His peace and order through neat, modest, tasteful dress and thoroughness, with neatness and order in dress consistent with respect for the Sabbath and the worship of God. Order is to be respected on the Sabbath and in worship, and every family is to be trained in neatness and cleanliness, so that truth is not represented as making people coarse, rough, untidy, and disorderly. Each church school likewise is to be orderly and serve as a model of heaven, characterized by order and peace rather than confusion.
Wise Planning in Practice
God is the source of order and progress rather than confusion, and therefore his work is to be advanced with sound judgment and careful, intelligent, sanctified planning instead of undue excitement, haste, or expensive display. Such planning considers the needs of all parts of his work and of other places equally in need, so that means are not recklessly spent in a way that brings perplexity upon the whole work or consumes resources at the expense of souls. To advance his kingdom rightly is to make haste slowly and to build intelligently and slowly rather than rushing ahead with concentrated excitement and interest in one place.
That forbids rushing on to invest means for fine architecture and display in one place in a manner that brings perplexity upon the whole work and expands one building at the expense of souls. It requires placing the work under a person of sound and sanctified mind who will weigh the wider necessities of the cause. God does not send discouragement upon ministers, nor does he produce a confused state of things in the work. Confusion in investing means, and confusion caused by letting medical missionary work supersede the ministry of the Word, is not from him.
He calls instead for wise planning and economy in the use of means, and he will bring order out of confusion by reestablishing the very same outlining of the work that he gave at the first establishment of the truth. Hasty plans formed in human strength and according to personal judgment can bring confusion into his work and hinder what he intends to accomplish.
God is not the source of confusion but of peace, and His churches are to be marked by order and harmonious peace. He is a God of order who has not changed, and He is as particular now as in former times in requiring order and organization. Order is the law of heaven, seen in all His works and in angels who act with subjection, discipline, and perfect harmonious movement. For the church this means preserving unity through organization and thorough discipline, which prevents confusion and advances the work with power rather than restricting it. That same peace is to govern worship and daily life, with assemblies kept in holy stillness and order, believers united in faith and cooperating harmoniously under the Holy Spirit, and all planning done with sound, careful judgment rather than haste and excitement.
Plain Sense of Verse
God is not the source of confusion but of peace, and his churches are to be marked by order and harmonious peace. Order and organization are valued by him, and orderly arrangements like those of Israel's wilderness journey serve the good of the community and are to be followed rather than resisted, in the present dispensation as well as the former. The church had order during Christ's ministry and maintained it after his departure, with church work to be conducted thoroughly and exactly and with system. Order and harmonious cooperation remain necessary as believers are united in faith and work together under the Holy Spirit rather than allowing local disputes to divide them, while Satan and his angels seek to undermine that unity.
He is a God of order who has not changed from the former dispensation to the present, but is the same now as then and is as particular now as then in requiring order and organization. He designs that present believers learn lessons of order and organization from the perfect order instituted in the days of Moses for the benefit of the children of Israel. That order was seen in the organized and disciplined camp, in the specified order for bearing the sacred ark and tabernacle by a designated family of the Levites, in guidance by the pillar of cloud in pitching and journeying, and in the orderly marching of the tribes each under its own standard as directed by distinct trumpet sounds with no confusion of sound. He is pleased with the efforts of his people to move with system and order in his work on earth after the order in heaven, for order, discipline, and union of action bring success and the cooperation of angels who work harmoniously in perfect order, while irregularity, disorganization, distraction, and disorder are never endorsed by heaven but result from Satan's studied effort to weaken strength, destroy courage, divide God's people, and prevent successful action.
When truth works in people it brings peace and not confusion by bringing mind, affections, motives, abilities, and all powers into harmony under one Spirit. The leaven of truth hidden in the heart converts the whole being into conformity with itself, so that the mind, the affections, the motives, and all the powers are converted through the truth and worked by the same Spirit, and all the truths of the Word meet in the conversion of the soul through faith. When the believer is united with Christ that faith is seen in holiness of character and consistent obedience to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, weaving truths that reach to heaven and compass eternity into human life. The influence of the Word sanctifies speech, actions, temper, voice, and association with every member of the family and with strangers, and faithfulness in the little things of home and church disciplines the soul and prepares for large responsibilities with lowliness of mind.
His teaching is intelligible and can be understood by thoughtful people. Chaotic gatherings in which people pray and cry out at once with no order, noise, and bodily exhaustion reflect a wrong spirit rather than his work, while heartfelt praise from the Spirit is different from such disorder. In context the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, so spiritual gifts do not excuse disorder or independence from the shared counsel of the churches of the saints.
Heaven and Israel's Example
Order is the law of heaven and is seen in all God's works throughout the universe. God is a God of order, not confusion, and in heaven the angels act with subjection and discipline. Their movements are perfectly harmonious, reflecting His peace and perfect order brought by system.
The perfect order instituted in the days of Moses for the benefit of Israel is what present believers are designed to learn lessons of order and organization from. That order was shown in the organized and disciplined camp. There was a specified order for bearing the sacred ark and tabernacle by a designated family of the Levites. Guidance was given by the pillar of cloud in pitching and journeying. The tribes marched orderly each under its own standard as directed by distinct trumpet sounds with no confusion of sound. Careful planning and orderly arrangements after this example of Israel's camp should guide Christian work, for God does not approve confusion in His work.
Israel's government was organized under God's authority through appointed leaders and officers. From the pillar of cloud direction was given that the Hebrews must educate their children to work and teach them trades, let none be idle, and instruct them to keep the statutes and commandments of the Lord. Strict orders were given to the whole encampment to observe order and cleanliness. Untidiness of dress and slack, loose, disorderly habits are an offense to God, and every family is required to be trained in habits of neatness, cleanliness, and thoroughness so that the principles of truth and righteousness are not represented as making people coarse, rough, untidy, and disorderly.
Angels are thoroughly organized and move in perfect order and work harmoniously. God works only through peace, order, discipline, and harmonious action, and never through confusion, distraction, disorganization, or disorder. Angels cannot work successfully for those who are disorderly, undisciplined, and disorganized in action but turn away in grief because they are not authorized to bless confusion. All who desire the cooperation of heavenly messengers must work in unison with them. The more closely their harmony and order are imitated and union of action encouraged, the more successfully heavenly agents can cooperate and help. Those with the unction from on high will always encourage order, discipline, and union of action. Irregularity, disorganization, distraction, and disorder never have heaven's endorsement but are the result of Satan's studied effort to weaken strength, destroy courage, divide God's people, undo unity, lead away from heaven's arrangement, and prevent successful action.
Order in Church Organization
God is the source of peace and not confusion, and his churches are to be marked by order, for the church had order during Christ's ministry and maintained it after his departure, with believers united in faith and working together harmoniously under the Holy Spirit against efforts to undermine that unity. Gospel order is not mere formality but preserves unity and prevents disorder from harming the work and reputation of the church. It requires that church work be conducted thoroughly and exactly, with system, and with believers and churches cooperating rather than allowing local disputes to divide them.
For the church this requires order and thorough discipline through organization, which prevents confusion and allows the work to go forward successfully. That order does not restrict or hinder the work but advances it with power and speed. It enables support of the ministry, entry into new fields, protection of churches and ministers from unworthy members, holding of church property, publishing truth through the press, and meeting many other needs. The need for order, discipline, and unity of action with system and exactness is greatest in the last days while God is bringing his children into unity of the faith, for confusion, distraction, disorganization, irregularity, and disorder come not from God but from a studied effort to lead away from heaven's arrangement, undo unity, weaken strength, destroy courage, and prevent successful action, including the deception that order and discipline are enemies to spirituality and that safety lies in each pursuing his own course.
That order must remain living and spiritual, bearing the cross and bringing the Saviour to people in burden for souls. It must not degenerate into dull form or over-systematic complicated machinery that makes workers formal and powerless, deadens energy, earnestness and efficiency, and engrosses time and means until spiritual work is neglected. Decisions about who should labor for souls belong to God and are to be made by his chosen ministers in union with the church with unmistakable evidence of the Holy Spirit. When a few individuals decide on their own who is called to minister, confusion and distraction follow, and prayer and eloquence alone do not prove a divine call without qualification, experience, and ability to care for the church.
Having an individual work and responsibility before God does not permit following private judgment regardless of the opinions and feelings of brethren, for that course leads to disorder and confusion. Members are to humbly accept counsel, advice, and correction from experienced sound-minded members, which fosters unity and a healthy influence, rather than each relying on personal judgment. Ministers must respect the judgment of their brethren and bring both their relations to one another and the doctrines they teach to the test of the law and the testimony, and where hearts are teachable there will be no division, while drifting away from the great landmarks of the faith opposes God who is moving upon his ministers to be one in doctrine and in spirit. New teachings that promote error and divide believers do not come from God, and believers should test them against Scripture with humility, seek the counsel of experienced Bible students, and pray for guidance, for truth not only converts but purifies the one who receives it.
The affairs of the church at Battle Creek were going wrong and needed to be set in order. Confusion tending toward fanaticism through religious excitement and religious excitement leading toward fanaticism endangered the church. That confusion was counteracted, and the work of correction brought a transformed stable condition marked by confidence and joy.
Unity Without Human Control
God is the source of peace rather than confusion, and his churches are to be marked by order and harmonious cooperation as believers are united in faith and work together under the Holy Spirit. Church work is to be conducted thoroughly and exactly, with believers and churches united and cooperating rather than allowing local disputes to divide them. Those who wear Christ's yoke draw together with Christ and with one another in the great plan of redemption, acting and stepping in concert like good soldiers with those connected with Christ. Satan and his angels seek to undermine that unity.
This peace means united action rather than division and disorder, requiring Christians to unite with their brethren instead of acting alone, refusing fellowship because others do not meet their mind, or pulling apart. Cooperation replaces working from self-will, a high estimate of own wisdom, and own methods and plans, with self-restraint exercised in order to maintain concerted action and without taking offense when other minds do not run in the same channel. Workers who submit to God's authority and obey his directions can act in unity, while self-willed disobedience leads to discord and disorder.
Human kingly power in any branch of his cause is not ordained or inspired by God, for he gives peace rather than confusion. Binding documents prepared for men to sign in order to govern their service, and the selfishness that exalts one man to rule the minds of his fellow men, are not inspired by him. Such selfish, human rule that seeks to control other people's minds is excluded, and the Bible gives the principles that are to govern dealing with human minds. The Lord works in and through those who will be worked by him, and in every line of Christian service they are to act in accordance with divine enlightenment.
Christ never causes confusion in minds but gives peace, and a human mind under the control of the Holy Spirit represents the heavenly world. Minds belong to Christ and are not to be under the jurisdiction of any man, so medical missionaries and all his servants must free themselves from the control of any human mind and reject philosophical speculation and spiritualistic theories. Those who put themselves in Christ's place to control the minds of his blood-bought heritage endanger souls purchased with the price of his own blood and will surely be punished at the peril of their own eternal life. To mislead one soul so that eternal bliss is forfeited is an inestimable loss, and unless the one who does this work comes to Christ with repentance and confession, he will lose the life that measures with the life of God. His kingdom is not served by confusion, for his laws are simple and complete and adding human rules creates confusion, while simple plans free from worldly policy help his work succeed and simplicity and humility should mark efforts to advance it.
Orderly Worship and Conduct
Worship assemblies are to be kept in holy stillness and order, for confusion and disorder are contrary to the holy order in which God meets with His people, since He is not the source of confusion but of peace. Uncontrolled noise disturbs the peace of those gathered to worship, and children's running, playing, talking, and displays of bad temper turn a place meant for holy worship and stillness into confusion and bring displeasure. Such play and noise desecrate the place of worship and hinder the divine presence. When this disorder is continued, the presence is withheld from the assembly and does not go with the people against their enemies.
Worship, including singing and prayer, is to be orderly, and such orderly worship can still be lively and interesting. Prayer in church should generally seek a present blessing, while prayer for family members is usually suited to the family altar, and prayer for those far away to the private place of prayer. Christ's service is marked by decorum and reverence, and wild methods, strange behavior, and confusion are not authorized. Truth cannot be confined to one particular range, but it shapes the manners, habits, and practices of those who live by it in harmony with its divine Author.
Distraction, filthiness, sin, and disorder do not please God, while cleanliness and orderly habits are consistent with serving Him. His people are to reflect His peace and order through neat, modest, tasteful dress and thoroughness, with neatness and order in dress consistent with respect for the Sabbath and the worship of God. Order is to be respected on the Sabbath and in worship, and every family is to be trained in neatness and cleanliness, so that truth is not represented as making people coarse, rough, untidy, and disorderly. Each church school likewise is to be orderly and serve as a model of heaven, characterized by order and peace rather than confusion.
Wise Planning in Practice
God is the source of order and progress rather than confusion, and therefore his work is to be advanced with sound judgment and careful, intelligent, sanctified planning instead of undue excitement, haste, or expensive display. Such planning considers the needs of all parts of his work and of other places equally in need, so that means are not recklessly spent in a way that brings perplexity upon the whole work or consumes resources at the expense of souls. To advance his kingdom rightly is to make haste slowly and to build intelligently and slowly rather than rushing ahead with concentrated excitement and interest in one place.
That forbids rushing on to invest means for fine architecture and display in one place in a manner that brings perplexity upon the whole work and expands one building at the expense of souls. It requires placing the work under a person of sound and sanctified mind who will weigh the wider necessities of the cause. God does not send discouragement upon ministers, nor does he produce a confused state of things in the work. Confusion in investing means, and confusion caused by letting medical missionary work supersede the ministry of the Word, is not from him.
He calls instead for wise planning and economy in the use of means, and he will bring order out of confusion by reestablishing the very same outlining of the work that he gave at the first establishment of the truth. Hasty plans formed in human strength and according to personal judgment can bring confusion into his work and hinder what he intends to accomplish.